Monday, February 22, 2010

In Praise of Freedom (and Food)

Sally is always right on the mark when it comes to the blogs. This week she turned me on to The Fat Nutritionist, who decries fun-food haters and speaks persuasively in favour of eating what you want. As much as you want.

I sort of didn't get it all, that is sometimes the issue of US English verses UK English - it just doesn't translate. I now that is true for my post, a lot of US people will or do struggle with the nuances.

I've reread is and sort of got it and agree to some extent - except there is a massive issue of food doctoring going on with some foods and having weaned myself off these I'm far freer to choose what I eat.

K, I really enjoy your blog and love your descriptions of your sewing projects, etc.. However, on this issue, I find myself with an opposing view.

Certainly Michelle's article is another approach to thinking about food, although having read one of Michael Pollan's books - "In Defense of Food" - and a number of his articles, I think the message he's trying to get across is very much needed. I strongly disagree that a twinkie isn't bad, despite what Michelle asserts, precisely for the reason one of the commenters on her article states - our bodies don't tell us to eat fruits and vegetables or to cook our own food from scratch when we're hungry; they tell us to eat, NOW! Our past experience with food offers us the tempting and not always the most nutritious choices for fulfilling that directive. Then there's the greater environmental and health aspect of our food choices that should be taken into account. But can you imagine thinking about all this as you stand in front of the vending machine? How many twinkies will it take to have a significant impact on the environment? Have I already had a critical mass of twinkies this month? Isn't it easier to take a little time in advance to think about your food choices, the consequences of those choices, learn some guidelines, and make future choices less of a headache? For example, having a few almonds on hand bought a week in advance, just might save someone from having to approach the vending machine. As for being restrictive, well, I happen to find the speed limit restrictive. Doubt that would go over well as an argument in traffic court. While living within a society, we're bound by that society's rules, and those rules exist to make sure our effect on society is beneficial to all its members. I'm in the US, so this really backs into the whole health care debate and why we're not spending more money on learning how to not get sick than on all the medical problems arising from this country's sky-rocketing obesity problem.

Sal: I found it so positive. I love that Michelle calls herself the Fat Nutritionist - it destigmatizes fat from the health perspective (if not the "fashion" perspective). And she's from TO. I could go see her!

Kate: I actually wondered if it would fly for a UK audience. I guess there is something lost in translation.

Tanya: Thanks for such a well-considered response! Of course, the points you make have tremendous merit. In fact, generally, your way of thinking about diet and mine are aligned. (If you go back into my archives, there are some posts that discuss my somewhat disciplined approach to food and nutrition - even as I would love to eat lots and questionably.) The way I read Michelle's article was more "meta" (I suspect) than the way you read it. I found the post to be about liberty - liberty from moralizing about food, liberty from judging oneself based on consumption. While it's true, we may well be "what we eat", I don't think our culture of food moralizing works well for the bulk of people - especially those struggling to manage weight and healthful intake. Maybe taking the sting out of sin foods will help those people to recognize that they can eat junk or eat well, that each meal is its own experience to be savoured. Every snack is not about systemic food habits defining who we are or the merits of our diets over all. That's how I took it, which is why it worked for me. But I completely take your point. Thanks for giving us some lively fodder for discussion. K

on a related note, the bf and i watched the "food, inc" documentary over the weekend and boy, did it convince us to not think twice about eating organic/whole foods *as much as possible*. i highly recommend it - it'll only encourage you to eat better and healthier!

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